In this episode of the WHW Race Pod, I sit down with Lucy Colquhoun, who still holds the women’s course record at the West Highland Way Race, set in 2007 in a time of 17:16:20.

Nearly two decades later, that performance still stands. But this conversation goes far beyond splits and statistics.

Lucy reflects on who she was when she lined up in Milngavie in 2007: an enthusiastic amateur who had only started running in her thirties, discovering endurance almost by accident. We explore what training looked like in a different era, before social media, before nutrition plans and performance data were everywhere, when hill running was still deeply grassroots.

She shares:

1. How she was “strong-armed” into entering the race after running the Highland Fling
2. The simplicity of her preparation, and the discipline behind it
3. Realising halfway through the race that she was leading
4. The moment the course record became a possibility
5. Bonking at Cramond Cottage and bouncing back
6. The emotional complexity of still holding a record so many years later

Lucy also opens up about something deeper: identity.

What happens when racing is no longer central to your life?

What does it mean to step away from competition?

How do you hold pride without becoming defined by one performance?

We also touch on her incredible victory at CCC in Chamonix the following year, and the psychology of validation, comparison, and purpose in endurance sport.

This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about legacy, humility, and the private reasons we run.

If you’re preparing for the West Highland Way Race this year, this episode is a reminder that the experience itself is what endures. Records may stand or fall. But what you learn about yourself out there stays with you.

1. Simplicity versus modern complexity in training
2. Grassroots ultrarunning in Scotland in the 2000s
3. Running to feel rather than to pace
4. Identity beyond performance
5. Comparison as “the thief of joy”
6. The changing culture of the sport
7. Pride without ego

1. You’re lining up for WHW this year
2. You’re curious about the history of the race
3. You’re navigating your own relationship with performance and identity
4. You’ve ever wondered what it feels like to hold a long-standing course record

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone preparing for the race, and consider leaving a review. It helps more people discover the stories behind the trail.

I’ll be back soon.

Paul

The WHW Audio Companion – Week 1

In this episode of the WHW Race Pod, Paul introduces the WHW Audio Companion - a short, reflective series designed to support runners through the training months leading into the West Highland Way Race.

This isn’t a training plan or a list of sessions. It’s guided thinking.

Paul explores the deeper question that sits underneath every long build: what are you really training for, beyond the race name, the distance, or the finish time?

Drawing on his own experiences training for the West Highland Way and Western States, as well as years of coaching athletes preparing for long-distance races, Paul reflects on:

1. The moment when training goes quiet and belief starts to wobble
2. Why belief can’t be faked, and why this phase of training matters
3. How doubt and discomfort are not problems to solve, but part of the work
4. What athletes often think they’re training for, and what they’re actually preparing for
5. Why character, not just fitness, decides the later stages of long races

This episode sets the foundation for the Audio Companion series and offers a clear focus for the next period of training: not just building fitness, but shaping the person you’ll need to be on race day.

If you’re training for the West Highland Way, another long race, or simply trying to stay connected to your “why” during a demanding block, this episode is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and realign.

If you’ve got a story you’d like to share, something you’d love to hear explored on the podcast, or an experience from the West Highland Way that still stays with you, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

You can:

1. Send a WhatsApp voice note or message to:
2. WhatsApp: +44 7418 609498
3. Or message on Instagram:
4. @whw_race

Some of the most powerful stories are the ones people almost don’t send.

West Highland Way Race

https://westhighlandwayrace.org/

Instagram

@whw_race

Paul is an ultrarunner, coach, and filmmaker. He is a three-time winner of the West Highland Way Race and a former course record holder.

Paul is the founder of Pyllon – a coaching collective and creative project built around endurance, curiosity, and the long view.

You can find more of Paul’s work here:

Website

https://pyllonultra.com

Instagram

@pyllon

@pyllonultra

YouTube

https://youtube.com/pyllon

Substack

https://pyllon.substack.com

In this episode of the WHW Race Pod, Paul explores what makes the West Highland Way Race different from so many other ultramarathons.

This isn’t a breakdown of splits, cut-offs, or results. It’s a reflection on the quieter qualities of the race - the ones that don’t always show up on a start line or a screen.

Paul shares his own journey into the race, from first hearing about it at a time when life felt stuck, through to racing it in his first year of ultrarunning. Along the way, he reflects on the atmosphere of the Milngavie start, the weight of the race’s history, the deceptive nature of the route, and what really happens to runners as the hours – and nights – pass.

This episode explores:

1. Why the West Highland Way doesn’t need spectacle to be meaningful
2. How the route slowly reveals how you’re really doing
3. The kind of runners the race tends to attract, and why so many return
4. Why times and placings only ever tell a small part of the story
5. What remains long after Fort William

Paul also reflects on the legacy of John Kynaston and the original WHW podcast, and why continuing to tell the deeper stories of the race still matters.

If you’re training for the West Highland Way, thinking about it for the future, or simply curious about what makes certain races stay with us, this episode is an invitation to look beyond noise and numbers, and reconnect with what really matters.

If there’s a story you’d like to share, something you’d love to hear covered on the podcast, or an experience from the West Highland Way that still stays with you, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

You can:

1. Send a WhatsApp voice note or message to:
2. WhatsApp: +44 7418 609498
3. Or message on Instagram:
4. @whw_race

Some of the most powerful stories are the ones people almost don’t send.

West Highland Way Race

https://westhighlandwayrace.org/

Instagram

@whw_race

Paul is an ultrarunner, coach, and filmmaker. He is a three-time winner of the West Highland Way Race and a former course record holder.

Paul is the founder of Pyllon - a coaching collective and creative project built around endurance, curiosity, and the long view.

You can find more of Paul’s work here:

Website

https://pyllonultra.com

Instagram

@pyllon

@pyllonultra

YouTube

https://youtube.com/pyllon

Substack

https://pyllon.substack.com

The WHW Race Pod explores the stories, experiences, and quieter moments that shape the West Highland Way Race.

Beyond results and...